Router attachment



y 195$v J. H. GOIDIEREY 2,756,785

ROUTER ATTACHMENT Filed June 8, 1955 'INVENTOR. JAM/f5 H. GODFREY 1 -5-4 BY f ROUTER ATTACHMENT James H. Godfrey, Berlin, Conn., assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Con necticut Application June 8, '1955, Serial N 0. 514,071

6 Ciaims. (Cl. 144134)' The present invention relates generally to routers, and more particularly to a novel attachment for a router wherein the router may be used in trimming veneers, decorative laminates, hard plastic surfacings and the like to produce either a bevelled or straight edge without major adjustment of the router elements. The invention is particularly adapted to routers in which the motor having a shaft to which the cutting tool is afiixed is vertically positioned in a portable base for positioning and guiding the cutting tool, such a base having a flat undersurface which engages and may be moved over the surface of the work during a cutting operation. Such a router is described in Patent No. 2,562,143, issued to James H. Godfrey and Cedric Powers.

Where a covering surface, such as veneer, decorative laminate, hard plastic surfacing and the like, is used over a subsurface, such as a counter or table top, it is not normally the practice to precut the covering surface so that the edges thereof coincide with the edges of the subsurface to be covered. It is therefore necessary to trim the covering surface after it has been secured to the subsurface in order to produce a neat and pleasing appearance. If the covering surface is secured onlyto the top or one side of a subsurface, such as a table or counter, it is customary to trim the covering surface flush with the edges of the subsurface. On the other hand, if both top and sides of two adjoining sides of the subsurface are to be covered, it is customary to secure the covering to one side of the subsurface and trim it flush with the subsurface, secure the covering to the adjoining side of the subsurface with the edge of the covering surface extending beyond the edge of the previously applied flush trimmed covering surface, and then to bevel trim the second applied surface.

Prior to the present invention, it has been necessary either to use separate tools for the flush and bevel trimming operations or to make major adjustments in the tool used, such as the changing of cutters and guides. This, of course, results in a considerable loss of working time or added expense, depending upon whether the workman has to make major adjustments in his tools or uses a separate tool.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a router which can be alternately used to flush trim or bevel trim such materials as veneer, decorative laminates, hard plastic surfacings and the like without necessitating any major adjustments of the tool on the part of the operator to change over from either operation to the other.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

States Patent Figure 1 is a side view of an assembled router prov vides a positioning means for the cutter.

"ice

vided with the trimmer mechanism of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the underguide portion of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view of the cutter and underguide portion of the invention with the cutting and guiding elements arranged for bevel trimming; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side view of the cutter and underguide portion of the invention with the cutting and guiding elements arranged for flush trimming.

Referring to the drawing, the trimming mechanism of the present invention is shown mounted on a router which comprises a motor unit 10 having a threaded cylindrical sleeve or casing 11 secured to the motor body. The motor 10 is a conventional high-speed electric motor having a central and vertically disposed shaft 12 provided with chuck means 13 at its lower end for receiving a cutting tool 14. The cutting tool 14 has a shank 15 for engagement by the chuck means and a cutting head 16 having a straight cutting edge 17, the surface of which is parallel to the axis of the router shaft 12, and immediately adjacent and below the straight cutting edge 17 a bevel cutting edge 18, the surface of which is disposed downwardly and inwardly at an angle to the straight cutting surface 17.

The motor unit 10 is slidably received in a base 20 which is adapted to support the motor unit in vertical cutting position and to position and guide the cutting tool. The base 20 is provided with a pair of handles 21 by means of which the router may be manually controlled. Locking means 22 is provided in the base 20 to provide a means for vertical Vernier adjustment of the motor unit in the base, and has a further purpose of locking the motor unit in any desired position with relation to the base. Thus the cutting tool 14 may be positioned at any desired height with relation to the material to be worked and locked in that position. The details of this locking means are fully described in the aforementioned Patent No. 2,562,143.

The base 20 has as a part thereof the base plate 25 which may be a separate element or an integral portion of the base 20. Secured in a downwardly extending manner from the base plate 25 is the guide support 26. The guide support is in the form of a generally triangularly shaped bracket having an offset side flange 24 provided with bosses 27, 28, said bosses having holes 29, 30 through which screws 31 are inserted to secure the guide support 26 to the base plate 25. The holes 29, 30 are slightly larger in diameter than the screws 31 in order to provide for minor adjustment of the guide support for the purpose hereinafter described.

The apex of the guide support 26, which is indicated at 36, supports a pin or rivet 39 extending upwardly therethrough. In the preferred embodiment, the guide support is so dimensioned that the pin 39 is in vertical alignment with the center line of the motor shaft 12 and the cutter shaft 15. Any slight misalignment can be corrected by backing off the screws 31, thereby allowing the support 26 to be realigned because of the slightly oversize holes 29, 30 provided in the upper horizontal flange 24.

Mounted on the pin 39 is a guide 40 which, as will be hereinafter seen, slidably engages the surface of the covering material or the object to be covered and pro- The guide preferably is fabricated from a material which will provide minimum frictional resistance, and which, particularly, will not in anyway mar the surface engaged. A guide fabricated from nylon has been found to have the desired characteristics. However, any material having the desired characteristics could be used. It will be noted that the guide 40 has two arcuate surfaces 41, 42

of different radius. As shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 these surfaces are used selectively to engage the side or top of the object 51 to be covered in order to guide the cutter 14- along the covering surface 52. The radius of the surface 41 at the point of engagement between the guide and the object to be covered is purposely lesser than the corresponding radius of the surface 42. In the preferred embodiment where the pin 39 is in alignment with the centerline of motor shaft 12, the aforementioned radius of the surface 41 is equal to a radius of the bevel edge 18 of the cutter 14, preferably the radius at the midsection thereof, while the aforementioned radius of the surface 42 is equal to the radius of the straight cutting edge 17 of the cutter 14.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided for quickly and easily adjusting the guide 40 so as to place the desired surface 41 or 42 in operative position. As shown in the drawing, guide 40, as an integral part thereof, has upwardly extending shoulders 43 and 44 provided to abut, selectively, one end of a leaf spring 45. The spring 45 is mounted at its other end on a downwardly extending boss 46 on the side flange 24 by means of screw or rivet 47, and extends across the opening 50 where it is readily accessible when adjustments of guide 40 are to be made. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, guide 40 is effectively held in either of its two rotated positions by the engagement of the end of spring 45 with a selected shoulder 43, 44. When it is desired to move the guide to the other rotated position, this can be accomplished very easily and safely in a one-handed operation merely by pressing the spring 45 inwardly and out of engagement with the shoulders 43 and 44 to allow for rotation of the guide to the other position and then the spring 45 is released to re-engage the shoulder 43 or 44 to fix the guide in the new position.

In operation, the router is positioned with the base plate 25 resting on the surface 52 of the material to be trimmed, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. If it is desired to bevel trim the covering material, the guide 40 is positioned so that the surface 41 engages an edge of the object 51 to be covered, which edge is in a plane normal to the covering surface 52 to be trimmed. As the radius of the guide at the point of engagement with the object to be covered is equal to the radius of the midsection of the bevel edge 18 of the cutter 14, the motor unit is vertically adjusted to the proper height above the covering material to align the bevel edge 18 of cutter 14 for engagement with the edge of the covering material and bevel trim such material as the router is moved along the edge of the object to be trimmed.

When it is desired to flush trim the covering surface, the guide 40 is rotated to the position where the surface 42 is in position for engagement with the edge of the object to be covered. The cutter 14 is then lowered by adjusting the position of motor 10 so as to align the cutter straight edge 17 with the edge to be trimmed. As the radius of surface 42 at the point of engagement is equal to the radius of the straight edge 18 of the cutter 14, the router elements are now positioned in such a manner that, when the router is placed on the covering surface with the surface 42 engaging the object to be covered, the cutter 17 will flush trim the covering material as the router is moved along the working surface.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, a novel and improved arrangement for alternately utilizing a router to bevel trim and fiush trim a surface with no major adjustment of the router elements necessary to change over from one operation to another. The router is extremely rapid in operation so that trimming can be accomplished in a fraction of the time usually required and the trimmed surface is smooth and of good appearance. It will be noted that a simple cutter of small diameter is used and that the adjustment from bevel to flush trim,

or vice versa, can be accomplished in a quick and simple manner without requiring the operator to come into contact with the cutter, thus rendering it safe even though the router might be inadvertently turned on. The structure is simple and economical to fabricate, yet provides a construction which is rugged, fool-proof and simple to operate, and will give the desired service over a long period of time without malfunctioning or breakdown.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. Edge trimming means for use with a router of the type having a base and an axially adjustable rotatable spindle extending normally to the base for supporting a cutter adjacent the lower surface of the base, the combination of a cutter having a first cutting portion parallel to the axis thereof and a second cutting portion inclined relative to the axis thereof, guide means supported on the base having a first guide surface movable into operative position spaced from but in alignment with the first cutting portion of the cutter and a second guide surface movable into operative position spaced from but in alignment with the second cutting portion of the cutter, and releasable means for retaining a selected guide surface in operative position.

2. Edge trimming means for use with a router of the type having a base and an axially adjustable rotatable spindle extending normally to the base for supporting a cutter adjacent the lower surface of the base, the combination of a cutter having a first cutting portion parallel to the axis thereof and a second cutting portion inclined relative to the axis thereof, a bracket adapted to be mounted on the base of the router having a portion arranged to extend generally parallel to and spaced from the lower surface of the base, a guide movably mounted on the bracket having a first guide surface movable into operative position spaced from but in alignment with the first cutting portion of the cutter and a second guide surface movable into operative position spaced from but in alignment with the second cutting portion of the cutter, and releasable means for retaining the guide with a selected guide surface in operative position.

3. Edge trimming means for use with a router of the type having a base and an axially adjustable rotatable spindle extending normally to the base for supporting a cutter adjacent the lower surface of the base, the combination of a cutter having a first cutting portion parallel to the axis thereof and a second cutting portion inclined relative to the axis thereof, a bracket having means mounting the same offcenter of the base and having a portion extending inwardly toward the center of the base but spaced from the lower surface thereof, a guide turnably mounted on the bracket having a first arcuate surface registrable with the first cutting portion of the cutter and a second arcuate surface registrable with the second cutting portion of the cutter, and a releasable catch for bolding the guide in a rotated position with a selected arcuate surface in registry with the cutter.

4. Edge trimming means for use with a router of the type having a base and an axially adjustable rotatable spindle extending normally to the base for supporting a cutter adjacent the lower surface of the base, the combination of a cutter having a first cutting portion parallel to the axis thereof and a second cutting portion inclined relative to the axis thereof, a bracket having means mounting the same otfcenter of the base and having a portion extending inwardly toward the center of the base but spaced from the lower surface thereof, a pivot on the bracket spaced from but aligned with an axis of the cutter, a guide swivelly mounted on the pivot formed with a first arcuate edge portion having a radius equal to the radius of the first cutting portion of the cutter and a second arcuate edge portion having a radius equal to a radius of the second cutting portion of the cutter, and a releasable catch for holding the guide with either arcuate edge portion facing outwardly from the bracket.

5. Edge trimming means for use with a router of the type having a base and an axially adjustable rotatable spindle extending normally to the base for supporting a cutter adjacent the lower surface of the base, the combination of a cutter having a first cutting portion parallel to the axis thereof and a second cutting portion inclined relative to the axis thereof, a bracket having means mounting the same offcenter of the base and having a portion extending inwardly toward the center of the base but spaced from the lower surface thereof, a pivot on the bracket spaced from but aligned with the axis of the cutter, a guide rotatably mounted on the pivot in the form of a disc having a first arcuate edge portion of the same radius as the radius of the first cutting portion of the cutter and a second arcuate edge portion of the same radius as the radius of the second cutting portion of the cutter, said disc having shoulders formed in its upper surface chordally arranged with respect to said arcuate edge portion, and a leaf spring mounted at one end on the bracket and having a free end for engaging either of said shoulders to retain the disc in selected rotated position.

6. Edge trimming means for use with a router of the type having'a base and an axially adjustable rotatable spindle extending normally to the base for supporting a cutter adjacent the lower surface of the base, the combination of a cutter having a first cutting portion parallel to the axis thereof and a second cutting portion inclined relative to the axis thereof, a generally triangular bracket having a central open portion mounted along one side on the base offset from the center of the base and. having an apex opposite from said one side in alignment with the router spindle and spaced from the cutter, a guide rotatably mounted beneath the cutter on the apex of the bracket with its axis in alignment with the axis of the cutter, said guide having a semi-circular edge portion of the same radius as the first cutting portion of the cutter and a second semi-circular edge portion of the same radius as the second cutting portion of the cutter, a rib on the upper surface of the guide forming shoulders arranged chordally of the semi-circular edge portions of the guide, and a leaf spring mounted at one end on said one side of the bracket and releasably engaging a shoulder on the guide at its other end to retain the guide in selected rotated position, said leaf spring extending across the open portion of the bracket.

No references cited. 

